$14 Million to Improve Fuel Efficient Vehicles

$14 Million to Improve Fuel Efficient Vehicles

"Our children and grandchildren will call the cars we drive today antiques," Energy Secretary Sanuel Bodman said last Thursday while announcing a public-private partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE), industry and academia aimed at improving the efficiency of cars and trucks through advances in technology.

The partnership consists of six projects with a value, including cost share, of over $14 million and adopts a coordinated approach involving government agencies, private companies and researchers.

The projects support the DOEs stated five-year goal of improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines from 30 percent to 45 percent by 2010 for passenger cars and SUVs.

The DOE aims to improve the efficiency of heavy duty vehicles from 40 to 55 percent by 2013, eight years from today.

The projects were selected in three technology areas as part of the DOEs FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program which seeks to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies for cars and trucks that will use less oil.

Many of these advanced power technologies also serve as the foundation of tomorrow's hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Bodman said these technologies could reduce fuel use for all highway vehicles by 10 percent, saving over one million barrels of oil per day by 2025.

In 2004, the United States used about 11 million barrels of crude oil per day for passenger vehicles and trucks. Over half of that oil is imported from foreign countries.

Current projections show imports to comprise 68 percent of domestic oil needs by the year 2025. Increasing the energy efficiency of the nations passenger vehicles and trucks is an effective way to reduce dependence on imported oil, while also reducing environmental emissions.

Most of the projects will cost roughly $1 million to complete with costs split between industry and government.

Advanced combustion engine technologies include a novel low-pressure direct injection fuel system from Michigan State, and an exhaust gas recirculation control system in diesel engines by Honeywell.

One project was selected to overcome the barriers preventing the widespread use of idle reduction technologies in heavy-duty trucks including initial cost, driver education and receptiveness, and system reliability and maintenance.

International Truck and Engine Corporation in Warrenville, IL, will facilitate idle reduction in Class 8 trucks by making idle reduction equipment available on new trucks as an option orderable from the factory. Trucks in Class 8 trucks are less than five-axle tractor/single trailer, medium-haul delivery vehicles.

Fuel use of Class 8 trucks, at 18 billion gallons per year, far exceeds that of commercial trucks in any other weight class.

Both "Cold Climate" and "Hot and Cold Climate" systems will be developed and released for controlling cab temperature and comfort during rest periods in Class 8 trucks so that they need not idle at truck stops.

One project will cost $9 million with the cost split evenly between government and industry.

The costly project focuses on the testing and evaluation of commercially available and pre-production light, medium, and heavy duty advanced technology vehicles.

These vehicles will use advanced energy storage technologies such as batteries, ultra-capacitors, and high pressure, high volume hydrogen storage tanks.

The project will test internal combustion engines burning advanced fuels such as 100 percent hydrogen and hydrogen enriched natural gas blended fuels; advanced climate control, power electronic, and other ancillary systems; and combinations of advanced onboard engine technologies hybrids.

Source: Environmental News Service (ENS).